B.C. ministry says probe into health-data breach shows millions affected

VICTORIA – The personal-health data of more than five million British Columbians has been accessed without proper authorization, and in the most serious cases, the provincial government says it will notify more than 38,000 individuals of the breaches by letter.

Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid made the announcement as part of an ongoing investigation into research-grant practices between ministry employees and researchers at the universities of B.C. and Victoria.

Seven ministry workers have already been fired, sparking two separate lawsuits.

MacDiarmid says during three separate instances in October 2010 and June 2012, the health information was saved on USB sticks and shared with researchers or contractors without the proper permission or protocols.

She says while none of the data contained personal names, social insurance numbers or financial information, one incident breached an agreement with Statistics Canada.

MacDiarmid says there’s no evidence that the information was sold or used for anything other than health research, and a private consulting firm is reviewing the ministry’s data-security procedures.